Carolyn Braden's Spring Pink Nail Art

Just feeling inspired by the warm spring air and beautiful blooming trees fast approaching.

Carolyn Braden's Experimenting With CND Shellac Hot Pop Pink

This color matches my sunshine yellow colored toe polish. I used CND Shellac Hot Pop Pink and then regular polish for the designs. I always apply Shellac base coat, 4 coats of polish (instead of the recommended 2 coats.... 4 coats works best for me and my hardworking artist hands), and then the Shellac top coat. After using 99% alcohol to get the sticky remaining top coat off, I apply whatever designs I like and then repeat another Shellac top coat layer to the nails with the designs. I'm sure there are other ways of doing it but this routine works for me and does not chip.


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Carolyn Braden's Avon Yellow Nail Polish

Hot summer polish: Sunshine
Yellow! I bought mine from Avon and did the nail art myself. The color looks great with my spray tan!



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Carolyn Braden's CND Shellac French Manicure

Super easy to do! I just put 2 coats of Negligee (2 minute cure in between each coat of course), one coat of Cream Puff on the tips, and one more coat of Negligee. Don't forget the base and top coat! I used gold glitter (regular polish) along the white nail tip. These will work great for the wedding I'm in on Saturday!


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Carolyn Braden's CND Shellac: Rock Royalty with Negligee

Try this: Do two thin layers of Rock Royalty and one layer of Negligee. It gives you a pretty lavender sparkle purple. In the sun it shimmers so pretty!



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Carolyn Braden Tries OPI Shatter and Simply Smashing

Carolyn Braden "Loving Sally Hansen Salon Effects!"

The "black lace" nail art I previously wrote about came off so easily.  I used regular nail polish remover, cleaned my nails up, and put on "Kitty Kitty".  I love these!  They truly live up to what the package claims.

Carolyn Braden's Update to Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips

I am happy to report how successful I was with Sally Hansen's Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips.  Tomorrow will mark one full week of perfect polished nails!  This product is for you if you are tired of spending money in salons on manicures that chip within one or two days.  I am not talking about acrylic nails.  Polish stays on acrylics for weeks at a time.  (I used to have acrylics and I tried gel sculptured nails too).  Regular nail polish does not last very long on natural nails.  It's a fact.  I am still interested in OPI Axxium Gel Polish, but for now I am absolutely loving this Sally Hansen product.  I have only a couple of tiny chips, but other than that, the polish strips work.  I am currently teaching art.  I started back to school Monday and that was going to be the true test.  I've washed my hands about 15 times a day at school, worked in clay, painted, cleaned tables, used oil pastel, and sanitized my hands over and over the last 3 days.  The strips stayed on my nails.  I can't believe someone finally invented a nail product that lives up to what it says it will do.  


I still have the "laced up" pattern on and today I purchased leopard print and another box of laced up.  You can purchase them in colors or in patterns.  Each box of 16 strips retails for $9.99. (I bought mine at Walgreen's).  I received a good deal today because they were buy one, get one half price. The lady at the make-up counter had a coupon for me too, so I got them even cheaper.  I believe you must follow the directions perfectly in order for them to work like they did for me.  The only test now is seeing how easy they are to remove.  The directions say it will come off with nail polish remover, so I will wait until the weekend to take it off and then report what the removal is like.